By Howard Campbell—
Observer senior writer—
Maxwell Grant (center) as Mr. Greenwood, Monique Ellis as Miss Mona (left) and Shari Smikle as Attitude, in a scene from Money Move.–
Because he learned at the feet of a man considered the father of roots theater Bunny Allen knows what it takes to get a buzz going, even when there is a pandemic.
On Boxing Day the veteran producer makes his virtual debut with Money Move, the play that opened in July last year. It closed after 35 shows on Valentine’s Day in Goshen, St Elizabeth.
Money Move was scheduled for an overseas run, but the coronavirus put those plans on hold. Allen has teamed with Sunshine Horizon, a British company, to stage the online show.
He said the script has been updated to make Money Move more audience-friendly.
“The actors are given permission to comment on what’s happening in di world in terms of di election [in the United States] an’ di coronavirus,” Allen told the Jamaica Observer.
Money Move is written by Garfield Reid, better known as Bad Boy Trevor, who also carries the lead of Popchow. The cast is completed by Monique Ellis as Miss Mona, Yanique Cunningham and Shari Smikle who alternate as Attitude, Maxwell Grant as Mr Greenwood, and Oshin White and Shaquana Wilson who alternate the role of Tracy.
Shaquana Wilson plays Tracy and Garfield Reid as Popchow in Money Moves.
“It has everything to do with money an’ what people will do for di love of money,” said Allen, whose list of productions includes roots theatre hits like Bashment Granny, Passa Passa, Money Worries and Serious Business.
His mentor was Ralph Holness, whose saucy plays defined roots theatre during its heyday of the 1980s. Allen, who has been producing plays for over 25 years, is not surprised the genre has survived despite being consistently panned by some critics as mediocre.
“Roots plays connects an’ tells people what’s happening in Jamaica…it’s real,” he said. “They are current, jus’ like di deejays.”
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